Create a Recipe to Practice Writing | Activity | Education.com (2024)

What You Need:

• Paper/pencils
• 4x6 index cards (one for each guest)
• Markers

What You Do:

1. Explain to your third grader that they're in charge of the menu cards that guests will read before dinner. On one side, they will write the dishes that will be served, and on the other side, they will create their own “Recipe for a Happy Thanksgiving”. Explain that this recipe will have a fun twist. Instead of listing food ingredients, it will include guests and Thanksgiving memories.
2. First, on scrap paper, help your child list the names of dinner guests. Next to each name, have them write a quick note that tells something special this person is known for doing on Thanksgiving. For example, Aunt Gloria takes pictures, Uncle Bill brings flowers, Grandma bakes a pie, Uncle Jimmy falls asleep in the chair, Dad carves the turkey, cousin Chris tells jokes, etc...
3. Once your third grader has compiled the list, show them how to write common measurements like cup (C or c), tablespoon (TB or Tbsp), teaspoon (tsp), dash, and fraction amounts like ¾, ½, and ¼. In front of each item on the list, they should write a measurement, turning the list into a recipe. The “best” items should have the largest measurements (for example, “3 cups of Dad carving the turkey, 4 cups of Grandma’s pie”). The “least pleasant” items should have the smallest measurements (for example, “a dash of sister Janey screaming for her bottle, 1 tsp. brother Carl throwing his food”).
4. On the other side of the scrap paper, help your child spell all the dishes on the Thanksgiving menu. Now that they havetheirrough draft, give your third grader markers and index cards, and leave them to create one-of-a-kind menu cards.

Note: Be sure to proofread the menu cards to be sure no one leaves with hurt feelings (for example, “a dash of cousin Chris’s dorky jokes!")